Motherhood and Beyond

30 Day April House Cleaning Challenge

2013-04-01T14:15:00.002-05:00

http://moneysavingmom.com/2013/03/join-us-for-the-30-day-house-cleaning-challenge-in-april.html

I am participating in the 30 day house cleaning challenge!! With our move to Sioux City coming quickly, (blog post to come about that), I decided to start getting things organized and cleaned while I can. So I found this fun challenge, and I am going to blog daily about it!

April 1, 2013 Project

Your project for today is to surface clean your living room and kitchen.

Set the timer for 15 minutes and pick up and put away everything that’s out of place. Bonus project: Find 7 things to get rid of.

Next, wash the dishes in the kitchen (if there are any), wipe down the countertops and surfaces in the kitchen.

Finally, vacuum the living room.

If you want to follow along, join in, or just see the progress---join us:

Twitter: #Cleanin30 is our hash tag key word!

Facebook: CHALLENGE OWNER FACEBOOK challenge owner

My Facebook: MY FACEBOOK
MY Twitter: IowaMomma

So, I am off! I am going to take before/after pictures of each project. I also am hoping to get all bonus projects done as well.

UPDATE----
I didn't take any before and after pictures. I got to working and then it hit me that I didn't! So I will start that tomorrow!

As for today---kitchen is done!!! I found three things to get rid of. All of the dishes are done. Countertops and surfaces are all wiped down. Living room is next!

National American Miss

2013-02-06T18:35:00.003-06:00

OUR DONATION SITE

Hi, my name is Liliann Jones. I am 7 years old and a 2nd grader at my local elementary school. I just learned that I was chosen as a state finalist for the National American Miss pageant in my home state of Iowa. The pageant will be held the first weekend in April.

Now, I know you hear the word pageant and think Toddlers and Tiaras. But this is the exact opposite of that! This pageant focuses on community service, public speaking, formal wear (poise and posture), and my introduction speech.

There are fun things too, like photogenic contests, talent, top model and others. Feel free to read up on the Pageant and all the good it does for its participants at www.namiss.com.

In order to go to the state finals in April, I have to raise my fees myself.

As a potential sponsor, you are being asked to help Liliann participate in the program by providing a portion of the sponsor fee for her. As a sponsor, you or your organization will be featured beside her photo in the state program book. The sponsor fee is tax deductible for businesses as an advertising expense. On average, Sponsors donate anywhere from $10.00 - $50.00. Every dollar is so very much appreciated.

To break everything down for you that she would like to get:
$440 is the total for the fee to enter the pageant
$50 fee per entry for talent (2 entries)
$50 fee per entry for casual wear (1 entry)
$50 fee per entry for photogenic (4 entries)
$175 fee for top modeling (this includes a professional photo shoot, in which she will be judged on how she does with the shoot, how she acts when given directions, and how well she enjoys being photographed)--it also includes a full CD of all the pictures for us to take home!

We need all the help we can get to send her to this! It is her dream and passion, and as her family, we want to give her the boost up in the world to help her in her future. Thank you!

Time to Catch UP

2013-02-04T12:42:00.002-06:00

Wow...I have neglected this blog for way too long!!!!! Time to get my butt back into gear and really start writing again. I have missed it dearly, but due to life's unseen circumstances, I just haven't had the time. No more excuses!!!! Time to catch up!!!!!!

Lili is seven!

2012-08-31T15:15:00.000-05:00

AGE 4

Seven years ago, I went in at 6:30 in the morning for my scheduled c-section. I was 38 weeks pregnant with my second child. The c-section went well and my daughter was born. My husband cut the cord and ever since, she has been the light of our life. For four days, I sat and cuddled with her in the hospital, while watching Hurricane Katrina tear apart the gulf coast. I remember thinking to myself, so many people are dying, and here I just brought new life into this world. We brought our daughter home and began our lives as a family of four.

AGE 5

Now seven years later, she is still the light of our lives. She is growing up so quickly, it scares me to think in 10 years she will be graduating and moving out. It's crazy to think that she will be an adult, dating, college and everything else that goes with becoming an adult. I look at her now and think it can't be possible. But as I sit and think back, I remember things from when I was seven years old. I remember moving to a new school, having my first communion, and I even remember the teacher I had at the new elementary school I went to.

AGE 6

My daughter hasn't ever had to move, or make new friends. But she has had plenty of new things come into her life in the last few years. She started dance classes and fell in love with the sport. She loves to tumble and dance. This year we started her in tumbling full time, as well as jazz and hip hop. She is excited to start practice in a couple of weeks and already has been practicing at home.

We got her a new bike for her birthday this year, a real big girl bike. It has pegs and only hand brakes. She has already mastered using those instead of normal brakes like on her little girl bike.

AGE 7

For her party this year she wanted a Justin Beiber thing. Another moment that brought back memories for me. I remember being a huge New Kids on the Block fan at her age. I remember loving Jordan Knight, and singing all of their songs. I watch her as she dances around the room to Justin's songs and laugh to myself thinking how similar we are.

She is my mini-me without a doubt. She is beautiful and smart, funny and talented. I just hope she keeps her head on straight and goes for her goals. I hope she doesn't settle and take was it laid in front of her without challenging it. I hope she continues with dance and tumbling and uses it to further herself in life. I want her to go to college and become something amazing. Even if it means her having to leave home and not be close by. I want her to be happy no matter where she is. I want her to travel, and meet new people. And most of all, I want her to stay my little girl, even if only in passing moments. I want to be able to get a hug and feel that she truly is happy. Those are my wishes for her. And hopefully as a parent, I can do everything in my power to make them come true.

Happy Birthday Lili. I hope you get everything you dreamed of and more. We love you and always will, no matter what!

Stationery card

2012-08-05T17:16:00.001-05:00

Seeing Double Boys Birth Announcement

Create beautiful birth announcements with Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

This is a project that I created on Shutterfly. I put one picture of each of the boys, and one of them together as a birth announcement. What you can't see is the back, where I added a picture of myself with the boys, and put "from the tummy of our surrogate, Bethany, to our open and loving arms as new parents.

The end of an era

2012-07-24T14:25:00.001-05:00

Back in 2006, I had researched the idea of becoming a surrogate mother. I knew in my heart it was something that I could do, and do well. I knew that helping another family was something I wanted to do. My uterus was laying unused, Ryan and I had decided on just two kids early on in our marriage. We want to be able to give them the world and having more kids was just not something we wanted. So after much research and discussion with Ryan, we decided that we would go ahead and move forward with helping an amazing family have the final piece of their puzzle. We matched with a great couple in November of 2006 and did our first IUI in January of 2007. We became pregnant on the first try and a beautiful boy came into this world on October 12, 2007. They named him Kyle.

Everything about that journey was great. The family was complete and I helped create a dream come true for them. To this day I get pictures and updates from the family and while the contact isn't perfect, I still get to watch him grow.

After he was born, I went through about 6 weeks of postpartum hell. I was horrified about everything. I couldn't get over the fact that the journey was done. I was emotional and a mess. I never thought I would get pregnant again. I even had my tubes tied so I couldn't get pregnant again. But in 2008, the surrogacy bug bit me again.

I knew this time I wanted to be a gestational surrogate. My first journey I was a traditional surrogate. The baby was made using my egg and the father's sperm. Thus making the child biologically linked to myself. It is something I will treasure forever. I knew though that this time around if I wanted to get pregnant, it would have to be through IVF, only leaving me with the option of becoming a gestational surrogate.

I matched with a wonderful local couple from Iowa who had no children. But, my job laid me off due to the surrogacy, the match fell through and I was unable to help them become parents. I have no idea if they ever were able to find another surrogate or ever have kids. I then decided a few months after the failed match that I wanted to go one step further in the surrogacy world and help a couple who physically was unable to get pregnant. I wanted to help a same sex couple have a child. I have many friends who are gay, and wanted to help them become a family unit.

I matched with a great couple from Georgia, and flew down to meet them. But, due to some very personal issues going on in my life, I had to step away from the match. I was heartbroken about doing it, but I couldn't move on and become pregnant when my life at home was such a mess. I fixed my issues at home, and in my life and when things became stable again, I knew it was time to find a match. However, I was so unsure of going independent because it just seemed so scary. So I went through a matching agency. One where they just match the couples, not babysit like some other bigger agencies do.

And there I found the guys---MY guys! E and R were amazing from the beginning. We knew right away that all us wanted to be together as a surrogate/IP relationship. And so we began. In September of 2010 we transferred three embryos. Sadly, the transfer did not work. And in the IVF world, it just sometimes happens like that. It is very unpredictable and nobody can be sure when it will work. So we set out to try for number two. And in January of 2011, we tried again with three frozen embryos. Sadly, yet again, the transfer did not work. We were heartbroken, but knew we couldn't give up.

We went very quickly and wanted to try again, and in May of 2011, we set out for a fresh transfer of three embryos. This time it worked!!! We were pregnant with one healthy little bean. But five weeks into the pregnancy, I woke up covered in blood. I rushed to the emergency room to find that I had an SCH right next to where the baby was growing. And I miscarried within hours. I was heartbroken, as were the guys. It seemed like I was flushing their dreams down the toilet, and it hurt so physically and emotionally bad. I had never had to go through something like that and can't imagine doing so multiple times as some couples do in the infertility world.

After a few weeks, we knew we had some embryos left over and we knew we had to go for it again. We changed a few things up this time and had our fourth transfer in November of 2011. I couldn't wait to pee on a stick, because this time I KNEW it had worked. And sure enough, the first ultrasound showed the possibility of triplets. We were over the moon happy, not only that it had worked, but that we had multiples, something the guys had really wanted to happen. Sadly, yet good at the same time, the triplet never made it past a certain stage and never showed a heartbeat. We were sad, but joyful at the same time as triplet pregnancies can be very dangerous, not only to me, but the babies as well.

TWINS....I was pregnant with twins. And the pregnancy progressed beautifully. We had some struggles with all day sickness, blood pressure and a few illnesses. But other than that, the pregnancy was BEAUTIFUL. I loved having the babies inside, moving around and really growing strong. It was so amazing to know that I was able to make these guys into fathers.

And on July 4th, at 2am, my water broke and the boys were delivered at 6:10am and 6:11am. The guys named them Oded and Yoav. They were beautiful and needed no NICU time or help in any way. they were actually released from the hospital before I was, as I was struggling with some blood pressure problems.

In another week, the guys will be home with their new sons and living life as a new family. No longer a couple, but a family unit together forever. Two dads and their two sons.

I am currently 3 weeks postpartum, and while I am yet again struggling through emotional stuff, I feel amazing for knowing that I did something amazing in my life time. Not only did I get to become a mother of two beautiful children, but I gave birth to three children to help complete two families. I helped them have a dream come true when they were unable to do so for themselves.

And now in July of 2012, exactly 6 years after starting my journey in surrogacy, I am saying goodbye. As much as I would love to be a surrogate again, my body is just not going to be able to do it. My uterus is thin, according to the doctor who did my fourth csection. My mind is emotionally drained from everything that went on over the 6 years in the surrogacy world. And I am ready to move on from being pregnant. My 29th birthday is in just a few weeks. I have set a one year goal to get my body back into shape and healthy from years of abuse (pregnancy) and not taking care of it.

I will always hold surrogacy in the best of light. I will always be proud of what I have done. And I want to be a positive image for future surrogates, not only here in Iowa, but across the world. I want to shed a light on surrogacy that isn't negative, as is constantly done now. I want couples to know there are surrogates out there who are amazing people and won't hurt or scam them. I also want to put an end to scamming surrogates. It would be great to get laws into place protecting not only the couples but the surrogates as well. And I would love to make sure that workforces can't discriminate against surrogates and that health insurance covers the pregnancy without stipulations.

Lots of goals, lots of time. But for now, I just wanted to say goodbye to the chapter of surrogacy in my life. And now begin to move forward with what's looking like a very bright future!

Buying books for school

2012-07-24T13:02:00.002-05:00

Are you or someone you know going back to school this fall? Do you need to start purchasing your books??? If so, check this out----head to amazon.unifreethought.com and buy your books there. Not only will you SAVE money, but a little chunk goes to the amazing group: UNIFI!!! So please, use the link and check out at Amazon and support a local college group!!!!!!!!!!!!

UNFI AMAZON

Purrsia Ann Jones

2012-06-11T14:06:00.002-05:00

Back in September of 2002, I was working at Sparky's in Battle Creek. In July, Ryan had gotten me a cute little gray kitten for my birthday. But I felt that he needed a pal while I was gone at work. I had noticed that a stray cat had given birth and there were kittens that eventually were going to be strays as well. With winter coming up, I just knew that rescuing one of them would be the best thing to do. So when the kittens were old enough, I picked out a cute little orange/white female. She was perfect!

The entire car ride home to Ida Grove (a whopping 7 miles) she purred the entire way. So we named her Purrsia. I always had called my other cat by two names, so for Purrsia, we tagged on Ann as a middle name. Bringing her home was a new experience for all of us involved. Sway had never been around other cats, we had never had to deal with two kittens and the apartment was sure filling up quicker than we had thought it would.

We eventually moved into a house which was much bigger for the two of them to roam. They quickly became best friends, but fought like brother and sister when they didn't get along. Sway was attached to my hip and Purrsia because Ryan's little tag along.

Over the years we had moved a couple of more times, brought more family members into the family (aka we had kids LOL) and instead of just being pets, the two cats had become our family.

Sway was always my cat. He followed me around like a little puppy sometimes. It is so cute and heartwarming to come home to him every day and know he is there waiting. Purrsia had always been Ryan's favorite. Until our daughter Lili was old enough to walk. Those two became best friends, constantly together.

Lili would take her outside to play, they would go on countless walks and adventures together. And even when Lili would get hurt and begin to cry, Purrsia would come running to her aide meowing up a storm. Purrsia even slept next to Lili every night. And when Lili got old enough to have to go to school, Purrsia was there every morning to help me wake her up.

A few months ago, we noticed that Purrsia wasn't looking like her normal self. But we figured it was just her getting older. And then we noticed that something just wasn't right. Her nose began to turn black as did around the edges of her mouth. She wanted to get outside more, and we noticed she had began to eat less.

We took her to the local vet, who claimed she had a mass in her uterus, but that she was too weak to go through surgery. So they sent her home. In my eyes, they sent her home to die. They didn't want to do anything. So, after a week, things got worse. Her mouth swelled, she started to drool, and she refused to eat or drink.

So we took her to another vet, who confirmed that she had cancer in her mouth and there was no saving her. On May 21st, we had to make the most difficult decision that our family has to had to make. We had to put her to sleep. My husband drove to the vet with our daughter, said their goodbyes and they put her to sleep.

My husband said it was the hardest drive home he has ever had to make. We buried her in our back yard under our daughters bedroom window so that when she woke every morning or when she went to sleep at night, she could be there with her just as she always had before.

It has now been three weeks since her passing, and not a day goes by where we don't miss her or think about her. Even as I write this, I have teared up multiple times. It is still very hard to know that she won't be here anymore. She won't come running when I make a turkey sandwich (she always loved her lunch meats). We won't hear her meow anymore when we call her name.

Sadly, the hardest part of this entire thing has been watching my daughter lose her best friend. There isn't a moment where I can tell that she isn't thinking about her. She will go to her grave and talk with her just as if she were right there. She constantly makes comments regarding how Purrsia used to do certain things or what they would be doing if she were still here.

We have recently adopted another cat from a shelter. She looks a bit like Purrsia, is just under a year old and has many of the same qualities that Purrsia had. We weren't looking to replace Purrsia herself, but to fill the emptiness that has plagued the house since Purrsia has been gone. My daughter is much happier now, there isn't as many tears shed over Purrsia's passing. And though we miss her every single day, we all know that it was better than for her to suffer from the pain of cancer. Putting a pet to sleep is never an easy choice. But for our family, it was much easier than to find Purrsia dead in our home. I don't want my daughter to have to remember her that way. This way, she was able to say her goodbyes, hold her and talk to her one last time. She did not see her after she had passed.

We all said our goodbyes in our own way. I think this is kind of mine. I had told her goodbye at the vet when I dropped her off, but I thought she would be coming back home. I thought maybe she could be fixed and continue to live her life with us and our family.

If anything this experience has made me realize many things. First and foremost that family is very important. No matter if it is fur family or human family. I treasure the time I have with them and do not take them for granted. And second--that animals are just as sacred as any human person can ever be. Many people mistreat animals, treating them as though they are nothing. But going through this made me realize that they hurt, that they can suffer and that they can die. My heart still has pangs of guilt that we didn't look into her issues earlier. That maybe if we had, it would have saved her. But I can't live my life guilty because of something that we didn't understand. If anything, it made us more aware. That the smallest things can mean something is wrong and that if someone, pet or human shows signs that something isn't right, you listen. You check. And you know that even if it costs thousands of dollars, their life is worth it. I would have paid anything to get to bring her home healthy and alive, instead of dead and in a box.

Purrsia Ann Jones this post is a memorial to you. We miss you every day and hope that you knew how much you were loved in this family.

Guest Blogger June 2012 HEATHER VON ST JAMES

2012-06-07T15:46:00.003-05:00

Learning to Be Thankful in the Face of Mesothelioma

Have you heard the saying, “It takes a village?” I heard it so much during my pregnancy, but I never realized just how significant this phrase would become in my life. My daughter was born August 4, 2005. The pregnancy was pretty uneventful, although she was delivered by emergency C-section. My village was immediately surrounding us in congratulations.

A C-section recovery can be challenging, and when I returned to work, I continued to feel fatigued. I began to experience breathlessness, as well, and I made an appointment with my doctor to find out if something was wrong. Unfortunately, it was. My diagnosis was terrifying. Malignant pleural mesothelioma, often caused by asbestos exposure, was at the root of my tiredness and breathlessness.

This cancer is attributed to asbestos exposure, something I unknowingly experienced in childhood. As an adult, this nightmare was overwhelming. I couldn’t bear the thought of Lily and my husband having to go on without me, and the grim prognosis gave me 15 months to live if I did nothing. We opted for the most extreme treatment for possible, the removal of my left lung and all of the surrounding tissue.

The surgery took place February 2, 2006, in Boston under the care of one of the best mesothelioma doctors available. My 18-day hospital stay was followed by a two-month recovery period. After that, I went through chemotherapy and radiation. The emotional roller coaster was trying, but Lily was in good hands. My parents and their own village made sure of that.

While I was in the hospital, my parents took care of my daughter. In my absence, she learned to eat and to scoot around. Sometimes my parents needed caregivers to fill in so they could go to work. It’s amazing how many people provided their assistance and support. Church friends were ready to fill in as needed. Children I once babysat were now available as grownups to care for my daughter. I received pictures, often grainy photocopies, that allowed me to see the things my Lily was experiencing. Nurses admired, struggling not to cry over the challenges I faced. My parents’ bond with Lily is close, thanks to their time of caring for her. While I was in Boston, she was in South Dakota, experiencing a wonderful village.

As a family, we’ve been through a lot. It hasn’t been easy, but that was never promised. Knowing how fragile life is, we embrace it more fully now. I have a favorite quote, “Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death.” Embrace what you face in life, knowing that things like cancer can produce a lot of good in the midst of difficulty. I am thankful for the good in the midst of my storm.

Heather Von St James is a 43-year-old wife and mother. Upon her diagnosis of mesothelioma, she vowed to be a source of hope for other patients who found themselves with the same diagnosis. Now, over 6 years later, her story has been helping people all over the globe. She continues her advocacy and awareness work by blogging, speaking and sharing her message of hope and healing with others. Check out more of her story at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog

Guest Bloggers

2012-06-07T15:44:00.001-05:00

Wow---it has been such while since I last posted here (almost a year!!!). I can't believe I have slacked off for that long---however, with good reason. I am currently pregnant with twins for an amazing same-sex couple. I have been blogging weekly on a different blog: http://mybelly-theirbabies.blogspot.com/

So check it out and follow me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is the NEW news-----I am introducing a guest blogger of the month. They will have access to guest blog as many posts as they want during their month. So the first is Heather. Her blog is amazing and I hope you will check her out. Her first blog post is coming up next...so stay tuned for that!

And since the pregnancy is almost done, I plan on blogging again full time on the mommy end of things. I can't wait to get going on that again.

6 Days of Lili----Diva style

2011-08-28T17:45:00.000-05:00

Lili will be six in just a few days. A friend suggested that I do six days of Lili. Six posts about her and her life so far. I just realized that I should have started on Friday, but I will catch up today and finish out the remaining four days like it should be.

To my daughter Liliann---
Day 1

On the day you were born, I had no idea what type of little girl you would be. When mommy was little, I was a tomboy, I loved to fish and play outside. I loved to get dirty and play with my brothers. So I never imagined that one day you would grow into such a beautiful, fashion diva! One who loves to get her nails and hair done at the salon, wants to put on make up and loves to be in high heels. At first, I was scared. I have no clue when it comes to girly stuff like that. But now, as I see you turning six, I could not ask for a better daughter.
You look so beautiful every day, whether you are wearing jeans or a dress. I love to sit and watch as you get your hair done at the salon. When we went there for your birthday party, there was a wedding party getting their hair done. And the flower girl was just your age. They struggled with her because she didn't like getting her hair done. She kept moving and wiggling. I looked over to you and you were sitting in a perfect pose, chatting up the girl as she did your hair. You looked over and waved, but never broke the stance she asked you to sit in. As you walked to get your nails done, you looked so much older, but so young at the same time. You were stunning. As she did your nails, you didn't flinch. You sat perfectly still and loved every minute of it. The beauty salon girls just loved it!
But as we went out to the park for your birthday I noticed you didn't let the beauty of the day stop you. You rolled down the hill, you played on the slides and you had lots of fun with all the kids that were there. Looking beautiful every step of the way. On this day, I want to celebrate the diva in you. The one who wears high heels, who wants to be crowned Miss America and who no matter what, would choose to get her nails done over going to a movie any day! I hope you never change your beautiful ways. I hope you always love to get pretty and look your best, but still know how to have fun at the end of the day.

Where did summer go?

2011-08-28T11:12:00.000-05:00

It amazes me that we are already in the last week of August. The kids have been in school for almost a full two weeks and the leaves are already starting to lose their deep green color. I work in the manufacturing industry, our company builds boat trailers. The production teams are down to 32 hours a week. And I sit here and think, where in the world did summer go?

I think that maybe we were just so busy that it flew by, but as I look back, we didn't really do that much this summer. We had no vacations, no traveling, nothing that really took a lot of time to make it go fast. As a child, I remember summer being the best time of the year. No bedtime, no school, and swimming every day. We would stay up late with our friends in the back yard playing kick the can or hide and seek. But as an adult, my days are filled with work, and my nights filled with laundry and dishes. For the month of June, we had baseball. Lili had a few fun things during the month of July. And August has been filled with birthdays, school starting and illness. Both of the kids were sick this month, Lili with yet another ear infection and Damon had the flu.

I can't believe that next week will be the beginning of September. Lili will turn 6 on Wednesday and school pictures are already being taken. I really can't believe that summer is almost gone. There were things I still wanted to do. More camping trips I wanted to take and more vacations I wanted to take the kids on. There are national parks I want to see, oceans I want to walk in and beaches I want to lay on. I guess those dreams will have to wait yet another year. So let's break down the last few months of summer:

June----filled with baseball games and hotdogs! We had a lot of fun watching Damon play a few times a week and improve on his skills as a baseball player.

July---filled with beauty and poise. We had so much fun watching Liliann grow as a person, walk across a stage in front of people and dance her heart out. She did such an amazing job at both the Little Miss Heritage Days contest as well as the Miss Ida County Princess pageant. She had a blast at both and here is to hoping next year brings a crown!

August---birthdays, school supplies and laughs. The first week of August we celebrated my 28th birthday by spending the day at Adventureland P ark in Des Moines. We stayed at the hotel and had a great Mexican supper. Then came the first day of school, followed by celebrating Lili's 6th birthday out at Moorehead park.

Well, now that summer is almost coming to a close, I guess it's time to say hello to fall. Time to get ready for football, dance and wrestling!!!! Thinking that as an adult, fall may be my favorite season yet!

Baseball 2011

2011-07-18T20:31:00.000-05:00

Apple pie, Baseball and Fords...what more can be considered American? When I first learned we were having a boy, I never imagined he would love to play sports. Ryan is not into sports, and I really don't get into sports either. So I never thought that we would be sitting at baseball four times a week when he was just 7 years old.

We live in a small town. One that apparently can't get enough people together to have baseball available for younger people. So we went out of town and found Damon a great team! The first few practices were tough, as the other boys on the team had played together for a year. But once he got the hang of it, he fit right in!

They started out with practice four times a week. And then when games started, we had games 2 times a week and practice once a week. And I'm not talking about an hour practice, they were out there for two full hours. The coach had them running the bases, practicing catching pop flies and working on batting. He was a great coach and I hope he comes back next year.

Damon started out a little rough, trying to remember what he had learned in T-ball the year before. But once things really started going, you could tell what his skills would be and where he would have issues. The biggest issue---talking!!! Who would have guessed that???? Because there were older boys on the team, Damon was placed out in the outfield for most of the games. We were fine with that, he has to start at the bottom and work his way up to getting to play a base.
But we noticed that out in the outfield, he would stand there and talk to the other kids around him. There were even a few times where had he been paying attention, the ball would have been his to put back into play. But because he was not paying attention, he missed the ball and missed a good opportunity to show the coach he knew what he was doing.

But as the season went on, he grew better at not talking (or dancing) out in the outfield. And I guess that a few talks with the coach probably helped as well!

They didn't keep score at the games, though I know the boys in the dugout were out there counting whenever they scored. And of course Damon was out there making sure that when his team scored, he knew that they had a point. He was very interested in making sure they won. And when they didn't win, it was because the other team cheated. Oh to be 7 again.

This is his team picture. The head coach is on the right, with the assistant coach on the left. Damon is down front, right in the middle!

The season ended at the end of June with a great win over Charter Oak-Ute. And even Damon said he was ready for the season to be done. But then again, a week later he was asking already for more baseball!!!

Free Birthday Clubs

2011-05-01T17:59:00.000-05:00

Sign up and on your birthday receive free food!!! List taken from SweepsAdvantage website.

http://www.sweepsadvantage.com/smf/birthday-clubs-t42402.0.html

Amato's: http://list-manage.com/subscribe.phtml?id=1e6408a823

Austin Grill: http://www.austingrill.com/austingrillee/index.php?/austin_grill_main/join/

Baja Fresh: http://www.bajafresh.com/subscribemain.jsp

Baskin-Robbins: http://www.baskinrobbins.com/bdayclub/registerinfo1.aspx

BD's Mongolian Grill: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/bdscrp/lp/wb/join.asp

Ben & Jerry's: http://www.benjerry.com/our_company/contact_us/forms/chunk_spelunker/index.cfm

Bennigan's: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/bnngns/lp/join_new/join.asp

Black Angus Steakhouse: http://www.blackangus.com/PrimeClub.htm

Bob Evans: https://kids.bobevans.com/birthday.asp

Buca di Beppo: http://www.bucadibeppo.com/eclub/

Burger King: https://leadws.privolock.com/startRegistration.do?method=startRegistration&siteId=27

California Pizza Kitchen: http://www.cpk.com/register/cpkids.aspx

Captain D's: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/cptnd/lp/join/join.asp

Carrows: http://www.carrows.com/eClub/go.php?pid=su

Charlie Brown's: http://65.86.161.70/hscver2007/hscenroll1.shtml

Cheeseburger in Paradise: http://www.cheeseburgerinparadise.com/keepintouch.aspx

Chili's Grill & Bar: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/chlscrp/lp/join/join.asp

Cold Stone Creamery: http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/mycs/myCS_pub_home.aspx

Dairy Queen: http://www.blizzardfanclub.com/join/

Damon's Grill: http://www.damons.com/eclub.cfm

Denny's: http://www.dennys.com/LiveImages/enProductImage_334.pdf

Del Taco: http://www.deltaco.com/page8.html

Famous Dave's: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/famdvs/lp/join/chooseLocation.asp

Fazoli's: http://fazolis.fbmta.com/members/UpdateProfile.aspx?Action=Subscribe

Firehouse Subs: http://firehousesubs.com/birthday/

Friendly's: http://www.friendlys.com/utility/email_agesubmit.aspx

Fuddrucker's: http://www.fuddsclub.com/

Ghirardelli: http://www.ghirardelli.com/about/specials_chocomail.aspx

Glory Days Grill: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/glydys/lp/join/join.asp

Gold Star Chili: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/gsc/lp/join/join.asp

Hard Times Cafe: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/hrdtms/lp/wb/join.asp

Islands Restaurants: http://tikilink.islandsrestaurants.com/forms/register.pl

J&R's Steakhouse (Long Island): http://www.jandrssteakhouse.com/atmt40/default.asp

Joe's Crab Shack: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/jcs/lp/join/join.asp

Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon: http://www.lonestarsteakhouse.com/files/home.aspx

Macaroni Grill: http://macaronigrill.mx0.net/s?xcHccWcHH&email=capthowdy777@optonline.net

Maggiano's Little Italy: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/mggns/lp/join/join.asp

Medieval Times: http://www.medievaltimes.com/birthday.php

Melting Pot, The: http://www.themeltingpotclubfondue.com/signup.cgi

Moe's Southwest Grill: http://www.moes.com/newsletter.aspx

Muer Seafood Restaurants: http://muer.com/

Noodles & Company: http://noodles.prm1.net/noodlegram/

O'Charley's: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/ochrl/lp/join_new/join.asp

Old Country Buffet: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/buffets/lp/join/join.asp

On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina: http://clubcantina.ontheborder.com/clients/ontheborder/survey.htm

Orange Julius: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/oj/lp/join/join.asp

Perkins: http://endlesssavings.com/web-promotion/registration.php

Qdoba Mexican Grill: http://www.qdoba.com/Email.aspx

Quiznos: http://www.quiznos.com/offers/index.aspx

Red Lobster: https://freshcatch.redlobster.com/clients/redlobster/survey.htm

Red Robin: http://apps.fishbowl.com/a/redrobin/join/agegate.asp

Rockfish: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/rckfsh/lp/join.asp

Rookies, All American Pub & Grill: http://www.rookiespub.com/registration.aspx

Shoney's: http://shoneys.com/signup.html

Sonic: http://wackypack.kidsbirthdayclub.com/

Spicy Pickle: http://spicypickle.fbmta.com/members/UpdateProfile.aspx?Action=Subscribe&InputSource=W

Steak & Ale: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/stkale/lp/join/join.asp

Subway: http://www.subwayfreshbuzz.com/forms/buzz_me.aspx

T.G.I. Friday's: http://echo.bluehornet.com/clients/tgifriday/survey.htm

Texas Roadhouse: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/txrdh/lp/join/join.asp

Tony Roma's: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/tnyrms/lp/join/join.asp

Survey Sites that are good!

2011-05-01T16:13:00.000-05:00

May could be the month!

2011-04-09T15:16:00.000-05:00

Surrogacy has been a part of my life since July of 2006. I look back and realize we are creeping up on the anniversary of the day surrogacy came into my life. And wow....5 years already I have been in the surrogacy world. It changed my life, it changed who I am today. It has made me a stronger person. It has made me a more open person.

And one year ago next week, will be the anniversary of when my guys and I first started talking. I look back to a few of our first emails and realize how much our relationship has changed. We went from two completely different couples, to very close friends. I love them as if they had been in my life for years.

After two failed transfers, I am scared yet excited for the third. I want this to be the one that works. I don't want to keep trying. I want to make them daddies. Their goals and dreams are on the line. As a surrogate, it is very hard not to think that something is wrong with my body. Though I look back and know that I have never had issues becoming pregnant. When Jan and Doug came and we did the IUI, the doctor asked about using a medication that increased the chances of a pregnancy. We both felt that no was a good answer. They did not want multiples, and I didn't want to carry multiples. Two weeks after the IUI, as I sat listening to the nurse on the phone say that I was pregnant, I knew that my body was fertile and was born to be pregnant.

I never questioned my fertility after the first failed transfer. There was a lot going on and I honestly just felt as though that wasn't the one. I knew every time I peed on a stick it was going to be stark white. No matter how badly I wanted it to have two lines, in my heart I knew I wasn't pregnant. The second transfer was harder to handle. We changed the scenario going from a 5 day transfer to a 3 day transfer. We switched from fresh to frozen. I honestly had every positive feeling in my body throughout the entire time. I felt pregnant. I felt as though it had worked. And when the nurse called me at work and said that there was a beta of just 1, my heart sank. I really honestly felt as though they screwed up. Maybe it was a 10 and the lab tech forgot to type the zero. But after 4 more home pregnancy tests, I knew that it didn't work. Though for a few days, I held onto the hope that maybe it would change. Maybe it was a late bloomer, my body was a lower HcG producer, maybe that was it. But sadly, AF showed and I knew it was gone.

Never have a felt like more of a failure. Sitting there in the bathroom, knowing that my IF's dreams were going down the drain is such a horrible feeling. I hated the fact that my body wasn't doing what it was supposed to. But after reading and researching IVF a bit more, I came to realize that sometimes, it isn't the carrier's issue. Chemically something is going right. The embryo is failing, not my body.
And after long talks with the RE, my IF's and myself, we all decided to go one more round. This time, new egg donor, back to a fresh transfer and a new start. I feel so good about this time. I am staying positive and I know it will work. I am ready to be pregnant. I see everyone around me who is pregnant, some are ready to deliver and it brings me back to September, our first transfer, and how we would be delivering in just a few months time. Or if January had taken, I would be just a little over 4 months along, and my belly would start to show.

But as the saying goes, everything happens for a reason. I look back and think about September and realize that had it taken, I would be delivering during the most busiest time of the year for my work. I would be leaving all of my important duties to my coworkers, making them work longer hours, covering in my absence. Or, it makes me feel as though my work would fire me, let me go and get someone else to cover while I was gone. So there are silver linings in even the worse situations. And when I think about January, it would have us delivering in October. October is the month that Kyle was born. While it would be neat to have them share the same month, I want October to stay special. That month belongs to Kyle. So as I look forward to the future, I think positive. I have a really good feeling that May is going to be a great month!!!

I am so lucky to be a surrogate. I am so proud of the beautiful child I brought into the world for a couple that were unable to do so themselves. I look at the many pictures I get and just smile knowing that I brought him life. I do see bits of myself in him, but I don't feel motherly towards him at all. I love Kyle and we will always have a special bond. But he is not my son. He is Jan and Doug's son. He looks so much like his father!!! I just love his smile and his cute hair!!

That dream is what I want to become reality for my IF's. They are such amazing people. They do small things that I never thought possible. When I was down there the first time, E even carried my purse as it was quite heavy with my camera and traveling stuff while we did some walking in Mexico City. They help me through doors, carry things for me. When we first arrived, they had flowers and huge hugs for us. It was just plain amazing. My heart breaks when I leave, but I know that they think always of us here in Iowa as we do of them. I honestly could not have gotten more lucky with this match. We have so much in common, we can stay up and talk for hours about, well just about anything. I can't wait until they come to Iowa and get to see how boring it really is! LOL We always joke about how boring it is here compared to Mexico City. And I can't wait to go back. This time.....it is going to work and close to Father's Day I will get to announce to them that they are going to be daddies!!!!!

Weather Spotter

2011-04-07T20:44:00.000-05:00

Cobb Park, early fall 2010

Sun beam through the clouds,

When I was a young girl, I had always had a fascination with weather. At 15, I would stand outside when severe weather was approaching and take picture after picture. And that was before the digital camera, so I had to pay to get my shots developed after I ran out of film. And I could easily use one camera (the disposable ones) per storm. I can't remember how old I was when the movie Twister came out, but I immediately became addicted. To this very day I can recite almost the entire film by heart. Although I know the movie is fake, the storm chasers are so very real, and are becoming more and more popular each year.

home and really thought I was head over heels in love with my first every real boyfriend. Now 10 years later, even though I didn't go to school to get into meteorology, I still have an opportunity to become a storm spotter and I am THRILLED!!!!!!

So I thought I would do a quick blog post, show off some pictures so I can link it to the people who are looking at choosing me. Also, I wanted to link my blog to different websites, really get my pictures out there. Photography is something of a passion of mine, more than a hobby really. I love to take pictures, mostly of nature. I am not a people person-I hate trying to stage shots. I would much rather take the camera on a drive out to the country and see what I can find. So enjoy the pictures!!!

Wow...how sad

2011-03-08T15:46:00.000-06:00

Wow...how sad that it has been over 3 months since my last post. And I want to call myself a writer some day. I mean how terrible is it that I can't even keep my blog up to date??? Well...I guess the life of a mom really does keep me busy even to a point that I can't blog when I want to!

Update time...since it has been 3 months, better get this done.....

Damon has been enjoying wrestling. That isn't even the right word, he has loved it. Every weekend (well pretty much) we have went on a journey to a tournament for Damon. I knew he was good, but I never knew how technical he really could get when he put his heart into it. The strongest warrior can be great, but must have the heart behind the talent. Even the best guy can be beat by someone who wants it more. Damon is that kind of wrestler. He truly puts his heart and soul into what he does and in that way, he is exactly like his momma. I can tell in his eyes when he is pumped, when he is tired, when he is ready to just give up, but won't because he knows that champions never forfeit.   This past weekend we took him to Super PeeWee State Wrestling in Waterloo, Iowa. It was so much fun to run away for a weekend, crash at a nice hotel for a few nights and do some wrestling. Damon lost his first match, technically the most important one. He lost by points. His second match he pinned the kid in 19 seconds. It was awesome! Then the third match we ended up with a kid that has been wrestling 2 more years than Damon and travels around the Midwest in Nationals tournaments. He was good and beat Damon 11-1. Our day of wrestling was done, but after a quick nap, we went swimming, had some good food and just had some fun at the hotel. We are all bummed that wrestling season is over, but can't wait until next year. If money is good, I want to put Damon in the team called the Predators. They are awesome and what Damon needs to excel in wrestling. The Mat Rats are a good local team, but the first 2 months are spent with 50 plus kids trying to learn moves and he didn't pick anything up until later in the season. I want Damon to focus and learn how to take that focus and transform it into good technical wrestling. We are heading into soccer season now and Momma is excited to be cheering from the sidelines again!!!

Lili will begin her first year of soccer as well. She is excited and can't wait to play with her big brother. She has been such a little cheerleader throughout wrestling season, I am surprised she wasn't down on the mat with the boys as much as she practiced with Damon. Though in my heart I know she is too fragile, she hates pain and does not like to be held down. Instead of fighting back, she screams, a death scream that will make you want to cover your ears and hide under a pillow. So I would rather not put her into wrestling only to hear that scream as she is being pinned. But who knows, maybe she will surprise us next year! We had a scare a few weeks ago when Lili's cat, Purrsia, got out. She was gone for almost a full 2 weeks. One night on a walk down the street, Damon overheard a cat meowing and Lili recognized it as Purrsia's voice. They tracked it into a neighbor's garage and Ryan was able to get her out. She is now back home, healthy and safe. Lili is very afraid of letting her go and is constantly making sure that she doesn't get out again. Her year of Kindergarten is going very well and really likes school. Though I am sure she would much rather be at home playing school so she can be in charge of everything that happens. Lili is very much like me in that way, likes things done her way. Its quite cute at times, but at other times...WATCH OUT!!

Ryan and I are doing great. We just bought a new 2006 Chrysler Pacifica. Its beautiful and just awesome to drive. The color is red. It has a 6-disc cd changer, which for those of you that know me, know that this was a huge improvement. I love music but I am constantly changing CD's while driving. This lets me put in my favorite 6 CD's and I can change them with just a touch of a button. The kids love the new vehicle, though I am unsure of what to call it. The brand is considered a crossover. It is not quite a minivan, but not an SUV either. So for now, its a stationwagon I guess LOL. I don't know what else to call it!

Ryan is getting excited about driving his bike again. He has already taken it out twice when the weather allowed it. He is getting ready to be out on the road again and I know he is anxious for the weather to finally be nice again.

As for me and surrogacy....well, we are going for round three. I almost didn't think it would happen, but we decided to try with a new egg donor and I am so ready to get knocked up!!! I have seen so many people get pregnant lately or give birth and it just makes me want it sooooo much more. I can't wait to see the look on their face when I tell them we are pregnant. And for that moment when we are in delivery, as they watch their first child being born, it brings such a warmth to my heart knowing that because of me, they are able to be parents. So right now we have chosen a new egg donor (well, we are in that process this week) and hopefully will be transfering in May! I want to say April, but I just don't know if we can make it that quickly or not with the middle of March fast approaching.
Also in the surrogacy world I have recently been named the host for the JustMommies message board for the surrogate mommies. I am super excited to have this position and while I know there aren't many who belong to this board, I hope to be able to spread the positive word regarding surrogacy and help those who need answers to their questions. I want to be able to be a positive image for surrogacy and hope that in the next few years, I can strengthen in that position. I want to write a book about being a surrogate and maybe a fiction novel on surrogacy in general. I want to write a positive story and a negative story, one that shows how things can go wrong. That is my dream anyways!!

Well...for now...that is all. I have this setup at work now so hopefully I can blog on my break and start getting this show on the road!!!

2011 is finally here

2011-01-01T17:13:00.000-06:00

Sadly, my last post was in October. I can't believe how I have let this thing go!!!! I am such a writer that when I don't write, it makes me feel really lazy! So my new year's resolution is to take care of this blog and get to 30 followers by December. I know you are thinking, that isn't very many. But I am setting my goal low so I don't put it out of reach. I am currently at 14, so that is almost double what I would have now.

I guess the biggest thing is to make sure I pick a theme and write about it. My blog has kinda gotten out there and really just pushed everything together. I have surrogacy, my family, work, free stuff, work at home stuff. I don't have things organized and the reason I don't and can't get any followers is because I don't offer anything really of importance.

So to start off the new year right, I think I am going to sit down tonight and really think about what I want to write about. I am passionate about many things. This blog will be for my life, my family, my friends, work and everything else that goes with being a mom, wife, sister, daughter and friend. I am going to setup a new blog linked with this one for the one thing I am going to write passionately about. So hang on for the ride, 2011 is finally here!!!!!!!!!

Back again

2010-10-24T20:25:00.001-05:00

I know it has been awhile since I have blogged. Things kind of took over in my life that were more important, school, work, kids, family and me time. I have missed blogging like crazy. I tried to journal for a while, but I hate writing. I can type much faster, and I can type pretty much anywhere I go. For example, this post I am doing from work! I get bored, have a few minutes and quick punch out a few paragraphs and by the end of the day, I have a full post that I can just put on when I get home. I think this is going to be my daily routine now.

So to catch up on family......

Ryan is doing very well. He has enjoyed a summer and so far, a fall full of amazing days to ride his motorcycle. We have gone on a few rides that have really been fun for the two of us to enjoy together. He has kept himself busy with the kids and with extra work on the side. He loves to be outside and I know this winter is going to drive him nuts if it is as bad as last year. But he has his Netflix movies he can watch this year, so I am sure that will keep him occupied during the long cold months that winter is going to be bringing us.

Damon is now in 1st grade. He is growing up so fast, it takes me by surprise to really see how much he has grown in the last few months. We finall got school pictures back and to look back at the growth with his three year preschool and now the 1st grade, he has matured from such a little boy, to such a little man. He reads so well now and can really pick up on things like signs and words on boxes at the grocery store. He is constantly reading and trying to learn as much as he can about everything. He loves to play the Wii and the DS. But he would much rather be outside riding his bike! He will be turning seven in a few months, and it is just amazing how my first born is turning into such a good person. Damon also has a new journey this year, he is starting Boy Scouts! Well, Cub Scouts really, but it still is boy scouts. I don't approve of the Boy Scout leaders that say certain people aren't allowed to participate, but I want my son to really understand the joys of a troop, the fun they can have using nature, instead of just sitting around playing games all the time. I want him to use his imagination and really have fun with this. He also is starting wrestling this fall and I can't wait to see how well he does with that. I know he has a lot of energy and I think this is something he could easily do to really harness the energy and use it towards a goal.

Lili is now in kindergarten. She is my diva, my princess and my baby. She has grown so much as well, transforming into such a little girl. She does so well at school and I am so proud of the person she is becoming. Sure, she can be difficult, but boy is she just like her mother. She is very independent and I am proud of that. I don't want her to be dependent on other people. I want her to stand on her own two feet and know the world is hers for the taking. I want her to be proud to be herself and for the most part, I think she is. She is very attached to her cat, Purrsia. She starts Girl Scouts this year and proudly, I am the leader of her troop!!! I am excited for this journey together with her, even if it only lasts for a few years. She played tball for the first time this past summer, and I can already tell she isn't going to be much of a sports person, like Damon. She likes it, but not near as much as her music and dance. Even though I didn't put her in dance class this year, she still does really well at dancing around the house. Maybe this spring I will enroll her.

And now for me.....

Well, I guess for me nothing really has changed much. I am going to keep a surrogacy blog, and will attach it to this one, but I am not sure how I want to do that yet. The journey is so amazing. I really am helping two people who couldn't be more amazing and perfect for me. As much as it sucked, the first try ended in a negative beta. It has been very difficult to deal with that, but things are getting better. I just want this to work so badly for them....that when things don't go as planned, it has been making it harder and harder to push through, but I keep pushing because I didn't have to struggle to have my children. My children were born naturally, with no medications, and it was all really easy. I push myself because this is not my dream, I want my guys to be dads. I want to see the look on their faces when they are handed their children for the first time.

So now that I am back to blogging, I can't wait to really tell my story, really get out how I feel instead of just holding it inside. I miss blogging and hoping that I can do a post every day. This is the first, not the last......

Working from Home Series, part 2 Surveys C-E

2010-07-11T19:14:00.000-05:00

Two weeks has passed since my last blog post. For that I apologize. Life has been hectic, I work 12 hours a day, come home to TBall or swimming for the kids, then supper, baths and bed for them. Then I log into my online college courses, do homework and crash around 1am. Only to get up at 7 and do the same thing again the next day.

Finally things are starting to slow down and I am able to catch up where I last left off. So in the second part of the series, I am going more into the world of surveys.

My mother introduced me to surveys before I had kids. I was bored at home with just a part time job and needing something to keep me busy while I was at home. So I started doing the surveys that she did. I created accounts of my own and doing surveys every day for weeks. I had points racked up, got some great prizes and even won a GPS unit from one of them.

So here is the next set of survey sites that I think you should check out if you are looking for some extra income or some great ways to earn things like gift cards or gear for your house. I do not belong to all of these, but most I do. Some pay with cash, some pay with points in which you trade in for things like gift cards or gifts. This list will go from the letter C to the letter E.

om ©
Clear Voice Surveys
http://www.clearvoicesurveys.com/
Clarion Web Panel
http://www.clarionresearch.com/webpanel.htm
Clorox Advisors
https://www.cloroxadvisors.com/login.aspx
Caregivers Advisory Panel(TCAP®)
http://www.caregiversadvisorypanel.com/panel_portal.htm
Consumerviews
http://www.consumerviews.com/
Digital Research Panel
https://digitalresearch.com/digitalr...anel/join.html
Doggie Fun Product Testing Site
http://www.doggiefun.com/critiques/criticsignup.html
Drug Voice
http://www.drugvoice.com/
Datatelligence Online
http://www.datatelligence.net/
Elite Opinion
http://www.eliteopinion.com/index.html
e-focus
e-Rewards Survey Site
http://www.e-rewards.com/home.do
E-Poll
http://www.epollsurveys.com/epoll/cl...q.htm?cid=3465
Esearch
http://www.esearch.com/
Epinions
http://www.epinions.com/ T

Working From Home Series, part 1 SURVEYS

2010-06-25T23:48:00.000-05:00

Many people have asked me how to find the work at home things that I participate in. So I thought I would put something up for all you mommies out there in cyber-land to get you in on the goods!!!

First things first, never EVER pay to work. If it is legitimate, you shouldn't be paying to work. In some cases like Avon or Beachbody you have to pay monthly dues to have access to their marketing tools and websites. But in cases of mom's wanting to stay at home, you shouldn't be paying a website to work. Also, never give out any information unless you can verify that the information is going to a source that is important and trustworthy.

So this post will be the first in a series of work at home ideas. I will start simple, only because I don't have a huge amount of time tonight. So this series is going to be based on surveys and the ones that are worth taking, the crap ones and the really super amazing ones to get in on. I of course, will be benefiting from this post because all links that I will be providing are my personal links. So when you click and sign up, I will get something in return. This is a huge impact in the survey community and this his how many people get so much out of these survey companies. By signing up everyone on their Facebook account gives them tons of points and all of that. Many survey companies will only give you so many referrals now so I will post my links and no matter what they will give you access to the information, and I will get my maximum amount of referrals to the company.

Okay so here is the list of current survey companies who allow you to sign up and take surveys. These surveys are sent to you via email, postal mail and some are even over the phone. This list is from A-B. I am trying to break it into groups so my posts aren't lost in links!

4myopinion
http://www.4myopinion.net/
20/20 Research
http://www.2020research.com/
Advanced Focus
http://www.advancedfocus.com/index.htm
AC Nielsen's Homescan Consumer Panel
http://www.homescansignup.com/homescan/index.html
Avery Advisors
http://www.averyadvisors.net/avery/index.html
Alpha Buzz
http://www.alphabuzzgroup.com
Advantage Research
http://www.advantageresearch.net/home.htmcom ©
Altests
http://alatest.com/pages/about/en_GB/
American Consumer Opinion
http://www.acop.com/information.aspx©
Acronis Beta Testing
http://www.acronis.com/enterprise/su...ing/index.html
AnswerNet MRC
http://mrc.answernet.com/
Adept
http://www.giveusyouropinions.com/
Atkins Research Group Inc.
http://www.atkinsresearchinc.com/
Adler-Weiner Research • Focus Groups in Chicago, IL and Los Angeles, CA.
http://www.awres.com/
Amplitude Research
http://www.ampupnow.com/
AOL Opinion Place
http://www.opinionplace.com/main.adp?
Advocate Advisory Panel
http://www.advocateadvisorypanel.com...6&hf=17331.txt
African American Voice
http://www.theafricanamericanvoice.c...mmtx&cid=CD713
Boulder Focus Center • Focus Groups in Boulder, CO.
http://www.boulderfocuscenter.com/Baker Street Solutions
http://www.bakerstsolutions.com/
Big Fish Games ~ Computer Gaming Surveys & Research
http://bigfishgames.signup.sgizmo.com
Brand Institute
http://www.brandinstitute.com/
Beta Research Corporation
http://betapanel.com/Panel/BRC/ix.asp?Force=True
BeginSurvey Inc.
http://www.beginsurvey.com/beginsurvey/
Blarry House Research
http://www.blarry.com/home_f.html
Bellwether Surveys
http://www.bellwethersurveys.com/
BuzzBack
http://www.buzzback.com/
BRX Research
http://www.brxresearch.com/
Buzzsponge
http://home.buzzsponge.com/

Start Rite Shoes!!!

2010-06-23T22:53:00.001-05:00

Since my children could walk the biggest problem we have had is finding shoes that not only fit, but look good and last a long time. I am never worried about brand names with my kids, but more worried about quality. My kids are constantly on the go, outside riding bikes, playing at recess and taking walks with me and Ryan. And trying to find shoes that are not only comfortable but last a while is such a hard thing to do especially in Ida Grove.

We have one shoe store and the prices are unreal. I can't afford $70 shoes for my kids, especially when they out grow them in less than 6 months and the shoes just don't stay nice enough to spend that much money on. The only other place in town that sells shoes is a place called Pamida. This is like a pre-Walmart type of store. They have nice shoes, but the quality is not great and the prices are not really that great either. Sometimes you can get them on sale, but they last like four months and start to fall apart. I cannot have my children's shoes falling apart when they are constantly on their feet! I need strong support for their growing little toes!!!

So I was told to check out this website: http://startriteshoes.com/
These shoes are AMAZING!!!! Just check out some of the cute styles they have for not only girls but boys as well! And the selection is just awesome. You can find shoes for every event, from school shoes to rain boots! The prices are great, the selection is even better and they have these awesome sales that really get you some good deals. Right now there is even a contest to win free shoes for a YEAR. I am not joking, free shoes for a YEAR!

As a mom, you can't get better than good shoes at great prices with the best selection around! You can order shoes and have them shipped to just about any part of the world you want! So if you are looking for some great shoes, great prices with great quality, check out the website. I am glad that I did and I can't wait for the shoes to get here! Lili even picked out her own pair to wear. Oh yea...and if you worry about sizing, they even have a tool that you can get to size your child's feet at home!!! No more sitting in those uncomfortable end booths trying on pair after pair of shoes with running, screaming children all around.

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE SECTION JUST FOR LITTLE BOYS!!!
boy's shoes

Father's Day

2010-06-19T22:46:00.000-05:00

Growing up, Father's Day always meant Dad getting to get up early, and go fishing all day long with nobody bothering him. And when he arrived home, a huge meal was ready with his favorite foods and we all had to leave Dad alone the rest of the night. The day was his. But his alone. We didn't celebrate except for the early morning gifts made at home or bought by Mom on our weekly grocery shopping trip without Dad.

Now that we have kids of our own Father's Day has such a different meaning. My husband doesn't get to run off all alone on that day. We celebrate with a huge breakfast while he is getting to sleep in. Then we spend the day together as a family celebrating the joy of him being a father.

I have noticed that Father's Day like many other holidays has gotten to be so commercialized. Huge electronic gifts, grills or cars for dad. What happened to fishing lures or a box of his favorite candy? And people wonder why they are broke all the time.

If more families took out the gifts, they could save THOUSANDS of dollars a year. Birthdays, anniversaries, or special holidays like Mothers/Fathers Day are not meant for giving extravegent gifts. They are meant to be celebrated with family and friends. They are meant as a celebration of life. Not about gift giving.

This year my husband is getting a package of his favorite licorice and homemade cards from the kids as well as a nice big breakfast. And then we will spend the day enjoying our family. Sure he might get to lay in bed and watch a movie, but he deserves that. He works 50 plus hours a week and still comes home and finds time to play with the kids or do a load of laundry.

I love him for being such a wonderful father. I couldn't ask for more!

T-Ball and the FENCE

2010-06-19T21:40:00.000-05:00

So Damon had another T-ball game on Friday night. The teams are getting to be such good players, remembering to throw to first base, running home when the last batter hits and the most important part, teamwork.

Being my son, we always knew that he would be the one to get hurt, somehow, no matter what the event, he would be the one to get hurt. So far he has not let us down! And Friday was no different.

Now you may be thinking, oh the ball must have hit him or he fell down running the bases. NOPE! The poor child was chasing after the ball and ran INTO the fence, splitting open his forehead and leaving a nice little bruise as well. Of course he was upset that he didn't see the fence and was embarrassed but he got up, shook it off and went back to first base.

Everyone clapped for him and he felt a little bad that he completely missed the ball. But the game continued and he forgot all about it.

Going to my children's activities has always been so much fun. The only downer about going to these activities is the other people that are there. Some who bring family drama, some who come already drunk or some who don't show up at all but we hear about their non-presence throughout the entire game.
As a parent, I am ashamed of all the parents who come to these games to socialize and not cheer their child on. Why put your child into a sport if you aren't going to support them. Stand up and cheer when they are running bases, know when to keep quiet, like right when they are getting ready to swing the bat you don't scream something at your child.

Growing up I never realized how inconsiderate other parents really are and always wondered why my parents didn't have many friends in the town we lived in. But now as a parent, I realize that how people act in public really makes or breaks a friendship. Some of the people at the ball game were not even paying attention to the game and their children were playing. I am not asking parents to get right up to the fence and cheer and scream loudly for their children. But just standing around talking to your friends while your child hits the ball doesn't show the child you care. It shows them that you care enough to come, but only because you have to.